ViewSonic PJD6381 projector

ViewSonic's latest portable projector can project 3D images when hooked up to an appropriately equipped PC

Expert Rating

3.75/5

Pros

Good brightness and colour for its size, short throw ratio, 3D!

Cons

Loud fan

Bottom Line

ViewSonic's PJD6381 most intriguing feature is the ability to hook up a PC with a compatible graphics card and use the projector's 3D mode. It's also suitable to watching movies thanks to its acceptable contrast ratio and frame rate smoothing. In addition, the PJD6381 has the qualities you want from a portable business projector: high brightness and a reasonable size.

Would you buy this?

Price

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The ViewSonic PJD6381 projector is versatile enough to be used in a variety of situations thanks to its brightness level of 2700 lumens. Most interestingly, however, the ViewSonic PJD6381 can be used to project 3D images when hooked up to a PC with a compatible GeForce 8 series (or higher) graphics card.

The PJD6381 doesn't look particularly stylish; it's similar to most other ViewSonic projectors, such as the PJD5351 and the PJ760. Its body seems sturdy and strong.

The projector has a reasonable range of inputs. Dual VGA inputs make switching between two laptops for a presentation easy, while S-Video and composite connectors let you use a wide range of other devices. A VGA output allows a second projector or a monitor to be connected. We would have liked to see DVI or HDMI, but they're not crucial for this market segment.

We ran the ViewSonic PJD6381 projector through a battery of tests in a dark room, a room lit by daylight and a large office with fluorescent lighting. The projector stood up well in all these conditions, though we noticed a distinct loss of contrast and colour vibrancy during our daylight tests. Its 120Hz frame rate meant motion was consistently smooth, although a few strange artifacts appeared during fast panning shots. The projector has a 3500:1 contrast ratio, which is high enough for movie watching (in optimum conditions), and a 1024x768 native resolution.

Its short throw means this projector will most likely be set up close to the projection surface. Because the exhaust fans are at the rear, however, users may find their presentations disrupted. The exhaust noise is not especially loud, but our review sample had a high-pitched tone to it that was distracting in an otherwise silent room.

ViewSonic's PJD6381 projector has 6000 hour lamp life, but its power consumption is not so frugal at 305 Watts during regular use. While this is unlikely to cause a bump in a large business' power bill, be aware that this model's power consumption is similar to running two 46in Samsung UA46B7100 LED televisions.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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